International Background Research Articles

Az „UNGEGN Glossary of Terms for the Standardization of Geographical Names” című terminusjegyzék magyar változatának elkészítéséről

This paper gives a general overview of the reasons for, and the conditions and methods of preparing the Hungarian version of the UNGEGN document entitled “Glossary of Terms for the Standardization of Geographical Names” (including also its “Addendum”). The project, carried out at Károli Gáspár University in the spring of 2013 with the assistance of students majoring in Terminology, can be considered a continuation of the work, initiated by Ervin Földi twenty years ago, to establish and regularly update the Hungarian terminology of geographical names standardization. The paper discusses relevant methodological problems such as: how to decide whether terms of Hungarian origin or terms of international background should be adopted in Hungarian; how to identify or create English–Hungarian term equivalences; how to treat term gaps and term changes appropriately; how to word the Hungarian definitions; how to select the illustrative examples; and how to formulate and publish the proofread Hungarian version of the document on terms of geographical names standardization.

Ideological Orientation of and Educational Guidance for Contemporary Chinese Youth Against International Background

At present, the higher education of Chinese youth has to face the reality of internationalization. There is no doubt that Chinese young people’s ideology and thoughts have undergone complicated as well as profound changes in the process of internationalization, assuming brand-new characteristics and showing new trends. If we carefully analyze the complicated impact on contemporary Chinese youth’s ideology by internationalization and study the different features coupled with orientation of their thoughts, it will be of great significance for the research on methods and countermeasures for ideological education of Chinese youth against the international background.

Not Prior in Time, But Superior in Right – How Trademark Registrations Can be Affected by Third-Party Interests in a Sign

Trademark law relies on the principle of priority: The person first filing for registration (or, depending on the legal system, the person first using a sign) becomes the owner of the right within the territory where the filing (or use) took place. However, in certain exceptional cases priority is discarded vis-a-vis superior interests of third parties. International law explicitly recognizes two such constellations, namely protection of well-known marks (Article 6bis Paris Convention) and unauthorized registration by an agent or representative (6septies Paris Convention). Furthermore, it is widely acknowledged that the priority principle may not apply if a mark is filed in bad faith. The article presents all three constellations from an international and European legal background, including a discussion of the Commission proposals for reform of European trade mark law. It is argued that while the current law as well as the proposals go beyond what is necessary to comply with international obligations in regards of Article 6septies and application in bad faith, they do not live up to the required level when it comes to well-known marks. Nevertheless, in spite of certain deficiencies, it is also shown that European trademark law in its current state as well as in view of the envisaged reform proposals presents a fairly comprehensive panoply of options for protection of superior interests in a sign in spite of lacking registration.

A experiência do Observatório de Saúde do Trabalhador (Observatoriost) no Brasil

Antecedentes históricos apontam a mobilização sindical e de pesquisadores para criar um Observatório de Saúde do Trabalhador (OST) que permitisse oferecer informações com credibilidade e subsidiar a defesa da saúde. Este trabalho teve o objetivo de rever e analisar os antecedentes internacionais e brasileiros da mobilização de sindicatos, centros de estudos sindicais e intersindicais e pesquisadores de instituições do setor que criaram um observatório presencial e virtual para comunicação e repositório de informações científicas. Foram utilizados métodos de intervenção e observação participantes e levantamento documental. O relato parte de iniciativas de superação das políticas neoliberais. Tais iniciativas impulsionaram a criação do Observatoriost em 2010 e o mantiveram ativo até 2013 compilando documentos, relatos de imprensa e agendas sindicais. O observatório foi conduzido em cogestão com seis centrais sindicais por meio do Comitê Editorial das centrais que respeitou a diversidade e a autonomia dos atores envolvidos. A coordenação rotativa do portal pelo comitê evidenciou a maturidade política e sua articulação. Os principais desafios postos para a continuação da iniciativa foram de integrar e formar pesquisadores e profissionais comprometidos organicamente com os trabalhadores na luta pela defesa da vida e saúde.

The evolution of co-opetition in the Waipara wine cluster of New Zealand

The co-opetition literature has long focused on the explanatory variables for competitors engaging in cooperative relationships. Yet, there is a gap in understanding the evolution of coopetition. In this article, we re-visit an embryonic cluster in New Zealand and investigate changes over time. The paper examines a regional wine cluster against a background of industry restructuring, competition and internationalization. The study thus contributes to our understanding of the evolution of a regional wine cluster and its implications for wine business. The originality of the paper is twofold:first, the paper uses the co-opetition approach to provide a better understanding of cooperation and competition in clusters; second, the area of observation is located in a market that literature qualifies (from a European viewpoint) as new world wine. The paper notes the growing importance of glocal perspectives in business and economic development. A point often neglected in contemporary research, we emphasise that geography and location matters for management and economic research.

Firm size and board diversity

This study seeks to understand the relation between firm size and supervisory board composition. Specifically, we ask if and how firm size influences occupational and international background diversity in supervisory boards. Relying on resource dependence theory and theories of organizational behavior, we hypothesize that board diversity with respect to directors’ occupational background will increase with firm size, while the relation between firm size and board diversity with respect to directors’ international background will be concave. Using archival data for supervisory board members of 151 German firms listed in the German stock exchange indices DAX, MDAX, SDAX and TecDAX for the business year 2005, we find empirical support for our hypotheses: Both, occupational and international background diversity increase with increasing firm size, but international background diversity does so at decreasing rates.

Graduate student teaching development: Evaluating the effectiveness of training in relation to graduate student characteristics

In recent years, much attention has been given to the need for more empirical research to evaluate training programs that help prepare graduate students for their current and future teaching responsibilities. The present study investigated the effectiveness of a training workshop for graduate students who had varying levels of experience and diverse cultural backgrounds. Results indicated that over the course of training participants significantly increased their self-efficacy and effective teaching behaviours and decreased their public speaking apprehension. Although participants with varying levels of experience as well as participants with Canadian and international backgrounds benefited from the program, the results highlighted the need for additional teaching development opportunities for international graduate students.

The Board of Directors and International Decision-making

This paper develops a view of how specific elements of the directors' human and social capital can enhance a company's international performance. We have taken the view that the board is an active participant in the firm’s management, and we have therefore set out and tested a number of arguments related to the board’s role in the adoption of international decisions. Specifically, our results point to the need to incorporate board members with high levels of education and international background with ability to learn and process information and to help international decision-making. As shown by our results, a high level of external connectivity of directors could have negative repercussions for internationalization since they limit the time spent on the board and therefore reduces the cohesion and trust inside the board. The implications of this research, therefore, are important for both executives and academics, as it helps to know what attributes contribute to the board’s effectiveness in such a way as to positively affect the internationalization of the firm. Keywords: Board of directors, human capital, social capital, firm´s internationalization.

South Korea's Land Reform and Democracy

This article aims to examine what sort of impact the South Korean land reform in 1950 had on democracy. I will mainly analyze (1) the international background, (2) legislation and execution, and (3) the change in relation between farmers and the state. In the context of the Cold War, this reform aimed to prevent socialist revolution by accommodating the demands of peasant revolution from the top. The land reform’s social democratic character was minimized in its legislative process. The reform played a critical role in establishing the socioeconomic base for the liberal democratic and capitalist system. The National Assembly’s management of the legislative process also provided a valuable experience for a procedural democracy. And as a result of the reform, the rural communities became more equal. The fact that farmers were liberated from the landlord system was also important in creating a pillar for rural democratization in the long run. Despite these positive points, the South Koran land reform also had its shortcomings and displayed democratic limitations. With the path to the development of farmers’ autonomous organizations blocked, the real power in the rural communities at the myeon-level rested with the local administrators and elders. The South Korean land reform limited South Korean democracy to the framework of anticommunism and liberal democracy in the context of a global Cold War, while providing an experience in procedural democracy and the structural conditions for rural democratization.

A Living Wage - The Current New Zealand Campaign and the International Background

In a paper to LEW10, I asked why the concept of a living wage, formerly prevalent in New Zealand discourse, was no longer a common slogan – and suggested that it might be politic for it to be revived as a campaigning tool in the context of overseas activity. Exactly ten years later, such a campaign, led by the Service and Food Workers Union (SFWU) and with widespread union and community group support, is well under way, inspired partly by successes overseas. For example, the London Olympics used the living wage principle, while many UK local government authorities including the Greater London Council declare themselves to be living wage employers. Many other countries also have active campaigns and jurisdictions where living wages have been adopted. This paper will first discuss the political, economic, social and industrial relations context and rationales for such a campaign and the progress to date in New Zealand. It will then move on to the definitional, theoretical and practical issues in establishing the quantum of a living wage above the minimum wage, drawing on relevant overseas literature and experience. It will also discuss opposition based on lack of affordability, interference with the market, and employment implications. Basic definitions are variations on the theme that a living wage represents a minimum income required for a ‘decent livelihood’, to include the costs of paid work, particularly child care and transport/other directly attributable costs. The major methods of establishing a living wage are similar to those for establishing a poverty line, but must include the in work costs as well as often being based on a slightly more generous standard to ensure that being in paid work has some material benefit above social security minimum standards, in addition to its intrinsic benefits. There are therefore two common methods for calculating a living wage. The first uses relativities to average or median incomes, commonly 60% of the median (the NZ Poverty Measurement Study used 60% of median, equivalent, disposable, household income). The second approach builds up household budgets using one or ideally both of two approaches - published data from expenditure surveys and focus group discussions. Reconciliation or averaging of the two approaches, which often lead to fairly similar results, is common. This paper will discuss these methods, together with issues related to different household structures and regional differences, which make the living wage conceptually and practically more complex than a minimum wage. Finally, the paper will discuss the relationships, both positive and with some tensions, between the living wage campaign and various other social justice initiatives in the labour market and society generally – to improve paid parental leave, oppose changes to the welfare system, reduce child and general poverty, and reverse the thirty year increase in inequality

The Changing Landscape of Higher Education: An Analysis of Bologna Policy and Ireland's Engagement with the Process

In 1999 the Irish state agreed to participate voluntarily in an international policy process, more commonly known as Bologna. The process aimed to reform higher education in a ten-year period, and to establish the European Higher Education Area. Policy implementation in Bologna was facilitated through the open method of co-ordination. This mode of governance sidestepped many of the cumbersome hard law and treaty-based issues normally associated with the European Union. This article considers how Bologna utilised the open method of co-ordination, by examining the policy instruments used to facilitate lesson drawing and the sharing of best practice. The paper categorises Bologna instruments as mainly suasive, and examines policy convergence with respect to one policy instrument and one element of policy content. Ireland is identified internationally as having played a pivotal role in the development of qualification frameworks within Bologna. Qualification frameworks based on learning outcomes provided a means to progress quality and recognition action lines with Bologna. The paper moves from the supra-national policy environment to consider the national implementation of the Irish National Framework for Qualifications. This analysis reveals institutional and sectoral level issues concerning Irish universities, which are associated with policy implementation and the adoption of the learning outcomes paradigm. The paper concludes by considering challenges for the co-ordination and implementation of this policy instrument at the supra-national level and ultimately the establishment of the European Higher Education Area based on the Irish universities' experience. Author's e-mail: mairead.nicgiollamhichil@dcu.ie Irish Studies in International Affairs , Vol. 24 (2013), 331-345. doi: 10.33 18/ISIA.201 3.24. 18 This content downloaded from 207.46.13.124 on Wed, 22 Jun 2016 05:13:16 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 332 Irish Studies in International Affairs INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO BOLOGNA The Bologna process has been described as a mechanism that enabled policy convergence through transnational problem solving.1 This paper supports this contention and considers that the problem to be solved can be described as the reform of higher education to realise and facilitate the so-called knowledge society. Mary Henkel argues that the 'changing conceptions of knowledge' have led governments and their publics to expand and to adapt their higher-education systems.2 Theoretical knowledge is seen by Daniel Bell as a fundamental characteristic of innovation a cornerstone of the knowledge society: And the university, research organizations and intellectual institutions, where theoretical knowledge is codified and enriched, become the axial structures of the emergent society.3 Scientific knowledge has become an increasingly productive force in society in the twentieth century allowing for the continued development, manipulation and control of social constructs.4 Globalisation is a key factor driving the knowledge society and economy.5 Berit Askling, Mary Henkel and Barbara Kehm assert that the implicit knowledge and skills previously 'inseparable from the human actor' have become progressively explicit, codified and available to all through education.6 Ivar Bleiklie describes this interpretation of knowledge as an outcome as opposed to a procedure.7 Education is seen as a tool to develop human resources first, for the ultimate benefit of society and second, to meet the demands of the marketplace.8 Thomas Davenport and Lawrence Prusak outline succinctly the prevailing paradigm: People search for knowledge because they expect it to help them succeed... Knowledge is the most sought-after remedy to uncertainty. . .When we supply knowledge we expect to benefit too.9 Higher education had been tasked to play a central role to realise the benefits of

Newcomers' International Experience Backgrounds and Contributions to Team Performance

This paper examines the relationship between new team members’ international experience backgrounds and subsequent contributions to team performance at the first year of team membership. It is argued, that individuals’ experiential backgrounds can range from narrow careers in single national contexts to broad careers in multiple international settings, with different developmental effects on newcomers’ knowledge, competencies, and subsequent potentials to successfully contribute to team performance. Importantly, the experiential composition of the entire team moderates these relationships in such a way that newcomers’ broad international backgrounds constitute valuable inputs of new knowledge and perspectives in experientially homogeneous and long tenured teams. A set of hypotheses was tested on a longitudinal multilevel dataset from seven consecutive seasons of German Bundesliga football (2005-2012) and provided support for our predictions. Implications of these findings are discussed together with future research directions.

A French Experience of an IFRS Transition

ABSTRACT: In 2005, IFRS became mandatory for consolidated financial statements of French-listed companies. Our students had increasingly international backgrounds, internships, and jobs after graduation. Therefore, we felt the need to modify our French GAAP-based introductory accounting class to a course using IFRS. This article describes the challenges we faced and the solutions we adopted. Since French GAAP are rules-based and IFRS principles-based, the adoption of IFRS modified our learning goals, the learning strategy, and the assessment methods. We changed from a bookkeeping-oriented approach to one in which students have to define and analyze various transactions with respect to the conceptual framework using broader economic and financial concepts. We also had to modify student behavior from a learning attitude of repeating answers to one of finding answers, which meant further developing their analytical, synthesis, and judgment skills. Class material had to be adjusted to better reflect the complex reality and to allow students to make judgments, thus raising the question to what degree of detail certain topics are taught. This new approach also raised challenges in terms of providing feedback to students, grading, and student evaluation. By raising awareness about these issues, we want to contribute to a smoother transition when switching accounting classes from local GAAP to IFRS in other countries.

China's Status and Influence in the Multilateral Trade System

In December 2001, China joined the WTO and became the 143rd full member. In the last decade, China's international trade developed rapidly and it has consequently become the largest commodity exporter and the second largest importer in the world. Undoubtedly, China's international status has improved significantly. During this period, the pattern of international economy and trade are also undergoing profound changes. The changes of the balance of power between developing and developed countries, new forms of international trade barriers, a large number of bilateral free trade zones as well as some developed countries' rethinking of globalization are all consequences of the rapid rise of China and its interactions with the outside world. Simultaneously, all this contributes to the uncertainty of the future of China's foreign trade. China's position and influence in the WTO depend not only on China's own development, but also its interrelationship with other countries. So far, China has taken safeguarding the interests of the core areas as a priority in the Doha Round of negotiations, and this negotiation strategy proved to be practical and effective. Since 2008, China has gradually taken a key role in decision-making in Doha Round negotiations, but its composition of influence is unbalanced. Huge market and the scale of imports is still the crucial source of China's influence, and the gap between China and other leading powers is mainly reflected in the soft power, such as agenda-setting capacity in multilateral negotiations, the dispute-solving skills and the power of guiding the public voice and so on. Whether China can exert the power of considerable leadership compatible with its position as a leading trader depends not only on China's political will, but also on its design of path to the multilateral trading system, professional training and the speed with which it enhances its soft power. In December 2001, after 15 years of hard negotiations, China became a full member of the WTO, its 143rd. Over the past decade, China seized opportunities for development and basically realized initial strategic goals, which built the foundation of long-term development. China obtained permanent MFN treatment by the U.S., relative fair and stable international trading environment and the right to participate in the WTO dispute settlement and rules-making. Above all, the accession to WTO helped dramatically promote domestic reform and open and stimulate the economy. Then how to see the function and influence of China in this multilateral trade system? Firstly, we should analyze the current situation of China's trade and its international background, which will help to understand China's choice of standpoint in the WTO negotiations and policy development's path.

Three constructs of institutional identity among international doctoral students in Australia

Postmodern institutional interactions in Australian universities, among students and staff, entail negotiation of identity, legitimacy, and ‘social capital’. For many international students, this happens in an additional language and culture, in English. The case study presented here profiles four international non-English speaking background Ph.D. students in an Australian university, observes their out-of classroom departmental interactions, and uses a sociocultural perspective of second language in use to map their approaches to the negotiation of institutional identity. Two focus group interviews with the participants illustrated how, despite similarities among the participants in the beginning as newcomers to a Western university, students chose different pathways for integration, engagement in institutional interactions, and identity construction. The discussions highlight the role of agency and intentionality in participation and learning through interaction which leads to a critique of the ‘international student' as a label that underplays student agency.

International Research and Variation in Views of Ethnicity

The authors in this article first identify the extent to which research articles published in three American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) journals included participants, age birth to 18 years, from international backgrounds (i.e., residence outside of the United States), and go on to describe associated publication patterns over the past 12 years. These patterns then provide a context for examining variation in the conceptualization of ethnicity on an international scale. Further, the authors examine terminology and categories used by 11 countries where research participants resided. Each country uses a unique classification system. Thus, it can be expected that descriptions of the ethnic characteristics of international participants involved in research published in ASHA journal articles will widely vary.

International Comparison of Global Perceptions

The recent global economic crisis is affecting people’s positions on globalization. In this paper, we examine the views of young managers toward globalization especially in small and medium enterprises. Since globalization has differential impacts in both developed and developing countries, we compare the views of young managers in France and India. We draw upon the social representations theory and its impact on attitudes to identify the differences among young managers. We measure the social profiles of managers (international openness, social background, work environment and education) and link them to social representation. The results show different levels of attitudes according to the manager countries of origin. The results also validate the existence of a link between attitudes and representations which vary according to manager social profiles.

The Role of Board Heterogeneity and Voluntary Initiatives in CSR Towards Employee Stakeholders

Using resource dependence and stakeholder theories, the authors examine the role of board heterogeneity in influencing socially responsible behaviors towards employee stakeholders. The authors posit that heterogeneous boards influence an employee stakeholder orientation in two ways: by directing the attention of firm leaders towards their obligations to alternative stakeholders, and by providing them with information about novel practices, such as voluntary initiatives, that can help them meet these obligations. Using a panel of Fortune 500, we test theoretically driven hypotheses regarding board heterogeneity as a predictor of membership in the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) initiative, and subsequent corporate social performance towards employee stakeholders. Results demonstrate that firms with diverse boards in terms of international representation, gender, and educational background are more likely to join UNGC, and subsequently have higher social performance towards employee stakeholders.

Collaboration or confrontation? An investigation into the role of prior experiences in the completion of collaborative group tasks by student teachers

This paper describes research which investigated how a group of 23 postgraduate student teachers from a wide variety of international backgrounds with a broad range of previous experience perceived the significance of their own and others’ prior experience in accomplishing directed collaborative tasks, related to their coursework, in pre-determined groupings. The students were asked to comment on how they valued their own and others’ prior experiences and how they considered prior experience informed the completion of the tasks. They were also asked to comment on the dynamic of groups in which they worked and how they felt others’ prior experiences affected the management and achievement of the task. The students rated some experiences more highly than others and almost all appreciated the predetermined nature of the groupings as benefitting them socially as well as educationally. However, they raised practical, attitudinal and personality issues, suggesting that more structured guidance from tutors at the outset would be beneficial.

Right to University Education in the Czech Republic

The article deals with the international background and the Czech constitutional background of the right to university education and implementation of the above in the legal system of the Czech Republic. It is further concerned with the background for implementation of the statutory provisions by universities’ own acts; it also explains that, with respect to the definition of the limits. The article also explains why university education in the Czech language is provided free of charge to everyone irrespective of nationality – i .e. not only to the citizens of the Czech Republic. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ppaa.11.1.1404